Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar has announced that he will determine a new candidate to lead the MACC, indicating that the tenure of the chief commissioner, Azam Baki, will not be extended.
“His Majesty has decreed that he will select a new chief commissioner of the MACC to lead the agency.
“As such, His Majesty stressed that there is no need for any party to politicise the matter,” read a statement by the Royal Press Office.
Sultan Ibrahim said the position is crucial in ensuring that MACC continues to function effectively as the nation’s main institution combating corruption, misappropriation, and abuse of power.
“I will determine who is the best candidate to lead the MACC moving forward,” the press office quoted His Majesty as stating.
Under the MACC Act, the Agong appoints the MACC chief on the advice of the prime minister.
However, there have been growing calls for Parliament to have oversight on the appointment as well.
This announcement comes ahead of a rally calling for Azam’s arrest, scheduled for this Saturday (April 25) at Dataran Merdeka in Kuala Lumpur.
Previously, Wangsa Maju MP Zahir Hassan said he had received assurances from Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim last month that Azam’s contract would not be extended once it expires on May 12.
Azam had previously received three contract extensions, which Anwar justified as necessary due to the former’s purported bravery against corruption.
Plagued by scandals
However, Azam’s position had become tenuous after he was embroiled in another scandal over his possession of shares in excess of public service rules, following reporting by Bloomberg and Malaysiakini.
The government had investigated the matter and left it under the Public Service Department disciplinary board’s deliberation since last month.
Putrajaya is withholding the probe’s findings pending the conclusion of another investigation into purported collusion between MACC and the so-called “corporate mafia”, another unfolding controversy.
According to a Bloomberg report, senior MACC officers had colluded with private individuals to stage corporate takeover of rivals, with Azam’s alleged awareness and support.
Azam has since denied all the allegations and has sued Bloomberg for defamation for its article on his shares, seeking several court orders and RM100 million general damages.
Not the first time
In late 2021, Azam came under scrutiny over his ownership of shares valued at hundreds of thousands of ringgit in two companies.
In January 2022, Azam said he informed the MACC’s Corruption Prevention Advisory Board that the shares were bought by his brother, who borrowed his account, and that he believed he had done nothing wrong.
The declaration triggered a Securities Commission probe that eventually found no evidence of proxy trading as it determined Azam had “control” over his own trading account.
At the time, Anwar, joined by three other Pakatan Harapan leaders, had called for Azam to be suspended to facilitate an independent investigation. - Mkini
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